Rock
by lilly423
Summary: A short story inspired by the look in Joe Jonas's eyes as he sang "This is me". I only saw the youtube clip but I completely fell in love with his singing. This is the first story I've written, feedback will be well appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

She exited through the door backstage into a windy winter evening and got a chill that shot into her chest and raced through the tips of her four limbs. She could not decide if the culprit was the cold or if it was that intense, delicious, pleading gaze that Brett left her with.

Lilianne felt juvenile and incredulous, it was perfectly preposterous that his eyes could have that painful melting effect on her that left her in a state of floating exhilaration and at the same time an agonizing sinking realization that… that what? She lilted along the gray concrete path which passed through an utterly uninspiring landscape of bare and quiescent shrubbery. Eyes not really seeing where her two feet were taking her, Lilly found herself sitting in an icy patch of snow out of breath and her two cheeks flaming.

How _did_ he do that? It was not as if she'd never met him before but she had certainly never seen him in that _way_ before. They were acquaintances, both no longer greens in the music industry. Normally, she would not even have glanced at him with his bad-boy leather jacket, foppish haircut now known as "The Brett Todorov" and ridiculous scarf that he thought would be so chic to wear indoors. But tonight, as she was singing in her largest concert of the year, he surprised her by coming onstage midway through her last song. This was a song about conquering a ridiculous and terrifying past few months. It took a lot of self searching to come up with the confidence to write that song and tonight her voice was stronger than ever and erased all the shit that she dealt with; panned reviews of her sophomore album, losing her best friend in a freak plane accident, dealing with the media over her the not so surreptitious dalliances of her first and ex boyfriend.

_Can you see me in the dark its frightening can't you see? I dream about a life where I'm the shining star. _-- And in the middle of her song, another voice --_And even though you can't see me I see you my shining star. I've wished upon you wished about you and now here you are. Don't you know, don't you see, you're not in the dark now you're with me, you're exactly where I hoped you would be, right beside me._

The crowd went absolutely wild over Brett's unexpected entrance. At that moment Lilly's world contain only two people and one voice. They sung together _– I can see, here we are, we're exactly where we're supposed to be now, who knew that we could come so far. Wish on a star._

Since he came onto stage, Brett's eyes were locked on hers. He watched her so intently as if with a fear that he might never see her again. So forceful was his concentration that his eyes went a little bit cross eyed. The silliness of his look was nearly completely overcome by his powerful stare under those thick masculine brows and soft rosy lips quivering a little as his voice held a long note. Naked and without pretense, he forgot about arranging that little bit of hair to fall messily across his forehead. His gaze was a pleading. Begging her to understand the secret language he had just created that used only his beautiful chocolate eyes. In response, she used all of her concentration to keep her knees steady.

Though that moment was the Webster definition of infinity, she was now on the snowy ground, her shoes and pants were starting to soak from the melting frost. As she stood up to dust off the snow, she saw a familiar figure from the corner of her eye. He smiled a bit lopsidedly and walked forward.


	2. Chapter 2

As Brett walked up to her, neither said a word. Lilly was standing still, doe in the headlights, too transfixed by his dark melted chocolate eyes to yet feel any embarassment from such unnecessarily long and unbroken staring. A mist of silver-gray snow dust blew from across the landscape. Mother nature subtly reminding the two of her plans for a less than romantic winter storm to come.

Whether he noticed the impending storm or just wanted the girl, Brett was the first to cut the tense silence. "Let's go put peanut butter on something and then eat it!" began the New Jersey boy confidently as he grabbed her mittened hands. This brought a shy grin onto Lilly's small face.

"Not for coffee? Or at least a hot chocolate to warm up?"

"Miss, coffee on a first date is entirely arbitrary. As arbitary as first date peanut butter, except my idea is sticker" grinning.

"When did this become a date?"

"Ah, dont be sly, you're the one chasing me for it!" the silly boy yelled as he ran back to the concert hall back entrance, with a laughing lady running behind him. The two collapsed onto his dressing room settee redfaced from the cold outside and the punching heat indoors. As Llilly unwrapped her scarf and removed her mittens, she looked around the room. It was a typical dressing room without any frills. "How are you here?" she blurted, wondering how it was he came on stage in the middle of her act and finished so perfectly. He approached the question another way, "Well Miss Lilianne, at your age I was sure you'd already know," and he leaned dangerously closed and heard her breath. "But you are indeed quite lucky," he purred, "as I am a fantastic teacher."

Lilly was wide eyed and hadn't noticed her fingertips turning white from gripping the seat edge. And he suddenly pulled back, having a great laugh to himself, and explained in earnest, "To be honest, I've heard your song quite a while ago, [chuckling as he notes that Lilly's still heavy breathing], but I never knew it was you. I say this not as a slight to your stardom," he jested. Recovering, but catching her breath again as she remembered about his joining her singing just moments before, "but…" and stopped as he continued with momentum. "And you really caught my breath away, so I thought it was my turn to catch yours. Don't be in the dark anymore Lilianne" he cleverly used her song lyrics. "And here we are, exactly where we're supposed to be. [pause] Except, not really in this specific room. I just meant, with you." And he sat down on the settee next to her. Him, exhausted from a soul's most naked soliloquy and her, stumbling headfirst into another cold turbulent ocean of feelings, gasping for breath.

Just a month earlier, Lilly had escaped her life and spent half a year in rainy old England. And rain there it did, as Neil, his charm and his Queen's English accent nearly drowned her in love, confusion and despair. She fell in love with that perfect nook in his shoulder where her head rested at night. She fell in love with arranging his tousled hair, always to no effect. She fell in love with him. And that was a mistake.

And people make mistakes.


End file.
